In The End
by Yun Daragon
Summary: After their last visit to Chewbacca's memorial, the Skywalkers head to bed...totally unaware that they've got several familiarlooking visitors in the house...Done!
1. Ichiban

Hi, this is my first fic, etc etc.  
  
I've set it after the last book in the NJO, for those of you that don't want the ending spoiled for you.  
  
I do not own Star Wars

* * *

Unnoticed by the laughing, finally relaxed group of Jedi, Wookiees, and a not-quite ex-smuggler, two figures watched from a nearby platform. After only a few minutes, the taller inclined his head towards the smaller and younger one at his side.  
  
"Something troubling you?" He asked, not unkindly.  
  
"Well," the younger began, embarrassed, "I am a little worried…"  
  
The elder waited patiently.  
  
"…What if the lambent dies?" asked the younger.  
  
"It won't," reassured the elder, "You can sense that for yourself. The tree itself can nourish the lambent, even if it is inside your lightsaber."  
  
"You really think so, Grandfather?" Anakin Solo said as he looked the other fully in the face.  
  
"That's not what your really worried about, is it," Anakin Skywalker said as he looked straight back.  
  
"…Yeesh, you're better then Uncle Luke," Anakin Solo mumbled after a minute, "I guess I'm worried because…the war's over."  
  
"Is that not a good thing, Grandson?"  
  
"Gee," Anakin Solo said with a face of sarcastic concentration, made all the more peculiar by the translucent, glowing quality both their faces possessed right now, "I don't know Grandfather. Maybe we should keep slaughtering each other."  
  
In reply, Anakin Skywalker chuckled. It was a grim chuckle, and yet it still managed to be somehow merry.  
  
Their conversation paused as the group by the memorial tree broke up to head for their separate quarters. Both ghostly figures dimmed to near-total invisibility as the Jedi Masters Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker passed close by. Luke seemed to notice they were being watched, but did not think much of it. He hadn't actually recognized their presences anyway.  
  
Slowly, because the couple was moving slowly, both Anakins followed the pair to their guest quarters, hanging around outside until the two Masters had finally gone to sleep, which didn't take too long.  
  
"We were just discussing your concerns that the war has ended," Anakin Skywalker began as they were waiting.  
  
"Yeah well…now that the war's over…what do I do? Just hang around until everything I used to know is gone, a thousand years from now?"  
  
"You don't have to stay on the physical plane, you know," Anakin Skywalker reminded him.  
  
"No offense, but I don't want to sit through Yoda's lectures for the rest of eternity," Anakin Solo said with a determined expression.  
  
"You and every single Padawan in the last 900 years," Anakin Skywalker laughed, "And we thought he was a little long-winded when he was alive!"  
  
"Won't he get mad that we're talking about him like this?"  
  
"Just have some kind of usable excuse to get out of the next one," the older Anakin warned the younger, "Take myself for example. My last excuse was that I had to give Jacen that vision. Well, maybe he was in the middle of that battle you, ahem, became one with the Force in, but a vision is a vision."  
  
"Jacen seemed pretty messed up when I saw him on Yuuzhan'tar," Anakin Solo mentioned, "I'm glad he's figured things out."  
  
"I'll be having some serious words with Vegere when I see her," Anakin Skywalker said grimly, "Oh! Well, finally! I thought those two were never going to go to sleep."  
  
They crept inside, past the room where the Masters slept, and into the room where a very special person had just woken up.  
  



	2. Niban

Thank you for the positive feedback, everyone that _deigned_ to leave me a review.  
  
Here is the next chapter.

* * *

Little Ben Skywalker had woken up, not tired and not hungry; not hungry for food, anyway. His developing body and brain were hungry for stimulation, which usually resulted in cries that brought his Mommy and Daddy - a lot of the time both of them - coming at a run. Before he could start crying now, Ben noticed he was not alone.  
  
Two big glowing people were already here. One he sort of recognized, the other reminded him of Daddy. Neither seemed to be solid, but they were both real. These thoughts went through Ben's brain in less than words and more than feelings, and he eagerly began flailing his arms and legs in their general directions.  
  
"Well, now he's cute," said the smaller big person, "But I was there when he was just born. Not an attractive sight, I can tell you that."  
  
A glowing hand was in reach, and Ben grabbed it instinctively. His grip held, but it did sink into the hand a little first.  
  
"Hello there Cousin Ben," said the big person whose hand Ben was holding.  
  
The other one wasn't moving much.  
  
"Are you sure he's supposed to be awake right now?"  
  
"Look, Grandfather, I heard all sorts of horror stories from Winter and Mom and Dad about raising kids, so I at least have a better idea of what's supposed to happen then you do. Trust me on this."  
  
"Smart-aleck," the bigger one said, and reached down so that Ben grabbed him with his other hand.  
  
Ben giggled as the hands he was holding wiggled his around, holding onto them tightly even though his fingers felt like they were slipping.  
  
"Strong grip he's got," the bigger one said proudly, "I can tell - he'll be a great fighter pilot someday."  
  
"You can tell from the grip?"  
  
"Well, sure. That way he won't fall out during the really tight turns," the bigger one explained to the smaller one, "It's the death-grip that's the key, you see."  
  
"Sure it is," said the other one, not quite believing what he was hearing.  
  
This went on for some while, before Ben started feeling more hungry and less bored. The big glowing people noticed the change very quickly.  
  
"Uh-oh, I think he's hungry."  
  
"What should we do? …Is it even possible for us to feed a baby?"  
  
"Maybe…but it would be better if someone who knows how to feed a baby feeds the baby."  
  
"Maybe I can wake up Uncle Luke from here."  
  
After a minute, Ben could 'hear' his Daddy waking up. He made a few loud calls - not yet cries, but just noises to attract attention - and was happy to 'hear' that his Daddy was coming.  
  
"Great, here he comes."  
  
"Grandson? That means he'll see us."  
  
"…Quick! Hide!"  
  
The two glowing big people disappeared from Ben's view, seconds before his Daddy entered the room. Daddy was still sleepy, and hadn't noticed either of the other big people at all.  
  
"Well well, you're up early," Daddy said as he picked Ben up.  
  
While Daddy gave Ben his bottle, Ben noticed that the two glowing people were still in his room. One was hiding in a corner behind some big thing, and the other was crouched behind a smaller thing in a different part of the room. After being burped, Ben was ready for more attention and began wiggling in the direction of the smaller glowing person.  
  
Daddy didn't know what Ben was trying to tell him, but the perfect thing to try and say - Ben loved trying to talk just like Mommy and Daddy - came instantly.  
  
"An," Ben said.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"An. An!"  
  
Now Daddy looked really confused. Ben could 'hear' Daddy's confusion, but Daddy was the smartest person ever and he figured it out really fast, turning to the smaller glowing person's hiding place.  
  
When the glowing person stuck his head up, knowing he had been found out, Daddy acted very strangely. 


	3. Sanban

Last chapter. Thanks for reading! Oh, and this one gets a little weird.  
  
Disclaimer: Own the story, not the characters

* * *

Luke blinked. Then he did it a few times more. The extremely strange thing he had just discovered didn't change.  
  
"…Anakin?"  
  
"Um," the ghostly form Anakin Solo said as he gave up hiding and stood, "Hi, Uncle Luke…"  
  
The only thing Luke could think to respond to that with was, "Anakin…why are you hiding behind a packing crate?"  
  
"Because," Anakin said with a small pause and a sigh of defeat, "…Well, Grandfather took the space in the corner!"  
  
"Tattletale," came a second voice.  
  
Luke was very hard pressed to keep his mouth from hanging open as another ghostly head peeped from around a large packing case that blocked a corner of the room from view. While he'd only seen this face once or twice, all times briefly, it was one he would never be able to forget.  
  
Seeing Luke was able to handle his sudden shock, Anakin Skywalker stepped out from hiding and moved closer, moving somewhat shyly.  
  
"…Do I get to hear why you two are here?" Luke asked, once he felt sure of his voice again.  
  
"A visit," Anakin Solo replied, "I wanted Grandfather to see Ben. He was already awake when we came in, we probably got you and Aunt Mara an extra hour of sleep."  
  
"Which was most appreciated," came Mara's voice from the doorway.  
  
She walked right in, gave Anakin Skywalker a suspicious look, and proceeded to inspect Anakin Solo from head to toe.  
  
"I think you've grown a little," she said at length, "Or are you floating now?"  
  
"Floating," Anakin Solo said sheepishly.  
  
"I see," Mara said, turning to the other glowing presence, "So who are you?"  
  
"I," Anakin Skywalker said a voice that seemed to be purposely imitating Darth Vader's, "Am your Father-in-law, Jade."  
  
"Vader," she replied with narrowed eyes.  
  
"Aunt Mara, don't be mad," Anakin Solo said, seemingly only remembering now that his aunt-in-law and his grandfather used to both work for the Empire and didn't like each other too much to boot, "It was my idea that we'd come and visit…"  
  
Luke was beginning to feel a little frightened by the glare match going on between his wife and his dead father when someone tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
It was a middle-aged man, someone he didn't recognize at all, dressed in Jedi robes and only having an extremely faint sense of transparency to him, one that Luke didn't spot right away.  
  
"You might want to break them up before they really start fighting," the man advised, relieving Luke's arms of Ben's weight and holding the infant like he was made of glass.  
  
Not questioning this newest turn of events, Luke stood in between Mara and his Father.  
  
"Please, can both of you calm down," he asked - pleaded, nearly - "This really isn't the time for old grudge matches."  
  
"I'm not the one with the grudge," Anakin Skywalker replied innocently, "I'm just looking for wrinkles."  
  
"Why you little - IF YOU WEREN'T ALREADY DEAD I'D KILL YOU HERE AND NOW!"  
  
When Anakin - both of them - had finished laughing and Mara had finally finished fuming, all of them turned to the stranger that had just calmly set Ben back into his crib.  
  
"Honestly, I for one could _never_ grow tired of your arguments, Ani," the man said with a wiry grin.  
  
"Qui-Gon? Qui-Gon Jinn?" Anakin Skywalker looked absolutely dumbfounded.  
  
"Wait a second, you're dead too, aren't you," Anakin Solo said.  
  
"Yep," said Qui-Gon.  
  
"And you were holding my firstborn son how," Mara said, "And are any more dead Jedi going to be coming tonight?"  
  
"Plenty of practice and I don't really think so," Qui-Gon answered calmly, "I was actually sent here to find the wayward Anakins."  
  
"Yoda wants to see us, doesn't he," Anakin Skywalker said, "Well, I'm not going. That little troll is an evil taskmaster, evil I say!"  
  
"Heard that I did," Yoda said as he suddenly appeared, perched on the edge of the crib, "And a lecture you both are missing. Came to collect you, Qui-Gon did. Visiting relatives you should not be."  
  
Yoda looked down and spotted Ben's curious gaze back up at him. No one present had ever seen Yoda's eyes bug out before, and the little Jedi Master looked ready to pop.  
  
"Children! More children! Three grandchildren for you were not enough?!"  
  
"Why do you always assume that I have something to do with my grandchildren existing, Yoda?" Anakin Skywalker asked in astonishment.  
  
"Enough of this buffoonery! My lecture you are missing! Even Masters must come, when their Padawans are there to listen!"  
  
"Padawan?" Luke asked.  
  
"He means me," Anakin Solo explained, "They decided Grandfather should finish my training. Even though we're all dead!"  
  
"There will always be need for Jedi, living or dead," Yoda pronounced, "Now come back you will."  
  
Yoda faded away. Anakin Skywalker and Anakin Solo gave a round of disheartened farewells before fading as well. Leaving the two parents with just their child and Qui-Gon Jinn.  
  
"Would you like me to erase the memory of this visit from your minds? It must have been rather confusing," Qui-Gon asked politely.  
  
"No…I don't think Ben will remember it and no one will ever believe it happened anyway," Mara replied.  
  
Qui-Gon nodded, but before he faded away as well Luke stopped him with a request.  
  
"Um, if you see Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke said sheepishly, "Can you tell him -"  
  
"I think he'd be delighted to be the boy's godfather," Qui-Gon interrupted.  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"I've been watching the Skywalker line very closely, Young Master," the Jedi Master said, "I have a, shall we say, personal investment in it, and so far it seems to be doing just fine. I shall tell Obi-Wan, first thing."  
  
And with that the last dead Jedi faded from the room. Leaving behind two living ones and their child to watch the sun rising on Kashyyyk.. 


End file.
